CHRONICLEWATCH RESULTS / Working for a better Bay Area

Suzanne Pullen

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, August 20, 2005

RESULTS

Soggy San Francisco street back in order: Water seeping from a retaining wall on Market Street has been diverted and the road along it repaved. ChronicleWatch reported in March about chronic puddles and potholes where Market intersects with Clayton Street after a half dozen tipsters complained about the problem. After investigating concerns about a sewage leak, San Francisco Public Works Department spokeswoman Christine Falvey told us crews determined the water came from an underground creek. The Market Street retaining wall was built in 1957 after streets and houses constructed over the creek disrupted its natural flow. The wall was designed with spouts in the base to handle excess groundwater, but the water didn't drain properly -- a problem Falvey said was worse during the rainy season. After our inquiry, city workers regraded sections of roadway and the curb at the base of the wall, directing runoff to an existing storm drain. Road crews then repaved a 100- foot section of westbound Market Street. The $32,000 project was completed last week. "It looks good," said tipster Carol Glanville, who added that the real test will be when it rains. "And thank DPW for completing the project by the August deadline they promised."